Monday, May 16, 2011

Tom Parsons Passes

Tom Parsons, shown here with Cape May hawk counter Melissa Roach in fall, 2010, passed away today. Tom was a long time Associate Naturalist for Cape May Bird Observatory, and a good friend to conservation. His contributions to Cape May ornithology and education were many, and he will be deeply missed

As he went on in years, Tom made me realize how important handicapped-accessible birding sites were - we all know someone who profits from access to nature.

8 comments:

What a perfect photo, Don. I didn't know Tom in his prime- only in his last years- but to me he defined the Cape May State Park, and specifically the hawkwatch platform (fall or not). Seeing him cruise down Seagrove Ave, around the Plover Ponds, etc. on his motorized wheelchair- I'm certain he saw more of Cape May Point on a single day from that wheelchair than many residents and tourists (most birders excluded) see in a season. He will be missed.

Sad to hear about Tom...I loved spending time with him every day when I was the Cape May hawk counter. He had me over his house several times, and it was nice to get to know him outside of birding. He will be missed.

I was one of Tom's T.A. for Comparative Anatomy at U of T during my M.Sc. and Ph. D. in the 1980's and 1990's. He was an excellent and well-loved professor by the undergraduates and a great resource for graduate students. Each year, after the arduous CVA practical exam was over, he would take the typically indigent TA's to a fine Toronto restaurant or host us at his home in Port Credit. He was an important part of the U of T Toronto Zoology Department.Grant Hurlburt

This is sad news, I had lost contact with Tom over the years. Like Grant (not sure if you remember me, but hello) I was also a student at the University of Toronto, where he was indeed popular particularly for his extra curricular stuff. His Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy exam was a killer for many, and I know they knew that Tom didn't mean to be harsh, it was just his job. But on weekends he would invite students to the Opera, a play, maybe a seafood dinner at his house and of course to go out birding. I know that he introduced birding to probably hundreds of biology students. I did not know what a fine meal was until Tom invited me to a superb restaurant after seeing a play at the Stratford Festival, he helped us along in experiencing art, birds and music, often stuff most of us would never have done on our own. Tom and Peg bought 4 seats for nearly everything they did, and while they did not have kids, those two extra seats always had some young person in them, getting exposed to something cool. Tom had a gruff outer persona, and I know some students found him intimidating, contrarian also. But it was all a show, he was the biggest softie out there. The time I realized this is once when walking down the hall he sees me, calls me into his office (adorned with hundreds of soda cans from hundreds of lunches eaten at the office) and plops down Volume 4 and 5 of Palmer's Handbook of North American birds. He says, "I double ordered this damn thing and it is too much of a hassle to return. You have it." For me this was incredible, as a starving student I could not afford those books. I head to the fish lab where I was helping grad student John Reynolds, also a birder who had gone through U of T as an undergraduate and show him the books, tell him the story. He looks at me with a quizzical look and says, "you know what, Tom did the same thing with me when I was an undergrad." We realized that Tom had given us a gift, we were birders and we spent time talking birds and biology with him and he was just being nice. I will never forget that, and all he did for young people through the years. I always remember him as the local birder at Rattray's Marsh west of Toronto. I was there with Jim Rising when we left him at his new place in Cape May, after retiring from U of T. I remember seeing a Mississippi Kite go over his house, Tom ecstatic to have a good yard bird. I remember him as a guy who walked everywhere. It was his prime and it was sad to see how eventually he really declined in health, but heard of course that he kept on going, kept on birding. Damn, now I really am sad. Bye Tom..and thanks for everything! You will be missed. Alvaro.

Alvaro, thanks for your comment and great insight into the man. He was a real fountain of knowledge, he would be co-leading a walk with me and someone would ask some bird natural history question I wouldn't know the answer to, and I could always defer to Tom - and virtually always, he'd have the answer.

This blog is about. . .

. . . sharing the joy found in birds and life. Especially birds, birders and birding in Cape May, NJ, where I happen to live. Generally I stick to thoughts and photos of birds and other wildlife, with occasional i.d. tips or ecology notes, though wider-ranging subjects creep in now and then.

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About Me

A wildlife professional for 32 years, with a career including the Cape May Bird Observatory; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; NJ Audubon; Rutgers U.; Hunterdon Cty, NJ Parks; and the NJ Div.of Fish and Wildlife. Specialized in the human dimensions of wildlife conservation, with substantial habitat management, academic, and wildlife research experience. Operated a MAPS banding station for many years, a past member of the NJ Bird Records Committee, past editor of Records of New Jersey Birds, and a current board member of the NJTWS. Traveled to 24 states, 11 countries, and 5 continents, mostly as a birding tour leader. Competed in the NJ World Series of birding for 25 years, as a member of winning teams several times; in the Great Texas Birding Classic 4 times, winning once; and in Israel’s Champions of the Flyway event. Written over 1000 articles, 2 books and 3,000 blog posts, virtually all on some aspect of nature. Free-time pursuits include birding, hunting, traditional archery, photography, kayaking and training retrievers. Especially proud of my three adult children.